SNA faction attacks Kurdish workers in Syria’s Afrin
AFRIN, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), attacked Kurdish young men as they were returning from work at the entrance of the village of Mabatli in the countryside of Afrin Region, northwest Syria.
Local sources informed North Press that a group called Abu Aweed Dhiban, affiliated with Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction, affiliated with the SNA, forced seven Kurdish young men to disembark from a truck used to transport workers as they were returning home in the village of Mabatli in the western countryside of Afrin.
The sources added that the militants brutally beat the young men, with two of them sustaining serious injuries and being transferred to a hospital in the city of Afrin. There are concerns among the Kurds in Afrin about possible “revenge attacks” by the SNA factions, considering the events taking place in Deir ez-Zor Governorate, eastern Syria.
On Aug. 27, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) launched a military operation called “Security Reinforcement” with the support of the US-led Global Coalition on the eastern bank of the Euphrates River, specifically in Deir ez-Zor, “to eradicate Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells, pursue criminals responsible for perpetrating injustices against the local population, and to track down smugglers who exploit the populace’s livelihoods.”
On Aug. 30, the SDF announced the dismissal of commander of Deir ez-Zor Military Council, Ahmad al-Khabil, known as Abu Khawla, from duty, for his involvement “in multiple crimes and violations, including communication and coordination with external entities hostile to the revolution, committing criminal offenses and engaging in drug trafficking, mismanaging of the security situation, his negative role in increasing the activities of ISIS cells,” according to the SDF.
The operation led to the eruption of clashes between the SDF and gunmen affiliated with the dismissed leader and with Nawaf al-Bashir, leader of al-Baggara tribe and a pro-Iranian figure whose groups are active in the western bank of the Euphrates which is under the control of the Syrian government forces and Iranian-backed militias.
The SNA attacks against the Kurdish population have been increasing recently, with a notable international silence surrounding these incidents.
On July 24, Militants of Ahrar al-Sharqiya faction assaulted a civilian in the town of Jindires in Afrin.